Schrijver en dieren 1699

Curator: Right, let's discuss "Schrijver en dieren," or "Writer and Animals," an engraving dating back to 1699. Joseph Mulder created it, and we're fortunate to have it here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Wow, it's got this antique vibe—I am immediately getting lost in a whimsical paradox. I am intrigued! Curator: Paradox indeed! Mulder produced this piece at a fascinating intersection of art, literature, and social commentary. Consider how the engraver portrays the writer absorbed in his craft, seemingly inspired by the bestiary he is imagining and writing about above. Editor: I am looking at how this author is portrayed and, even with the fine detail achieved, his posture is a bit hunched, shoulders almost curled inwards, it’s melancholic! But then you glimpse up above and see this vibrant community of animals; It’s as though they come to life out of this darkness he is capturing...a creative life force. Curator: I like how you read that. There is such tension between his world and that imaginary plane that he seems to have concocted. You see this engraving functions as both a standalone work of art and as a book illustration—a point of consumption where image and text converged for a specific readership. I wonder what type of individual might have been the target of these images at the time? Editor: The printing gives an otherworldly feeling that resonates, which almost seems…lost, but also enduring somehow? Like these little stories of creatures existing are here forever now and it sparks all these new connections of thought between them, which also brings this…sad hope, in a way? Maybe the creator hoped that the images of them would live beyond what he did or beyond the physical plane, perhaps. Curator: Beautifully put! I find that Mulder’s composition speaks volumes about the perceived role of the artist in society—a conduit for fable, a voice for those who cannot speak. This engraving certainly speaks volumes about the era and Mulder's craftsmanship. Editor: Agreed. These antique drawings show us our world from completely another light. Thank you.